Brough Superiors, among the most highly regarded and coveted motorcycles of all time, were built between 1919 and 1940 by pioneering manufacturer George Brough at his Brough Superior Works, Nottingham, UK. Brough insisted every SS100 be tested for a quarter mile at 100 mph, hence the model number.
“In preparation for the 1925 Austrian Alpine Trial, an 8-day race, Brough designed the present lot, his own personal bike and the first “Alpine Grand Sport” (AGS), a modified SS100. Chief Engineer Harold Karslake, who assembled the machine in early 1925, made critical adjustments to account for the demands of the Alpine trial which included distance runs, hill climbs, and speed sections,” a company statement reads.
“Brough Superiors comprised the best-made components of the day: engines by J.A. Prestwich; gearboxes from Sturmey Archer; Bonniksen speedometers; and the famous sculpted “Bulbous Nose Saddle Tank”. Given its maker’s attention to detail as well as the marque’s unparalleled repair and replacement service, the Brough Superior lived up to its name. Reporter H.D. Teague dubbed it “The Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles.”
Design Masters will include 56 other highly important works by pioneering 20th and 21st century designers including Carlo Bugatti, Archibald Knox, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jacques Le Chevallier, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Serge Mouille, Philippe Starck, The Campana Brothers, Zaha Hadid, and Marc Newson, among others.
Recently, European auctioneer H&H confirmed the sale of another 1929 Brough Superior, which became the world’s most expensive motorcycle when it sold for a record-breaking GBP286,000 ($455,400) at an auction held at the Haynes International Motor Museum.
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